Chatting about inequality on Facebook

Yesterday afternoon I spent a gratifying hour on Facebook, taking part in a chat hosted by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. As the foundation prepares to announce more details about our new programs, I was happy to have the opportunity to take questions from our online friends and connections, including Chronicle readers and many others committed to social justice.

To my delight, there were hundreds of questions: about our priorities going forward, our deepening commitment to general operating support, and how we measure success. And there were specific questions about some of the urgent issues we work on, including inequality, mass incarceration, and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

It meant a great deal to me to have the chance to engage with people who find these questions as important as all of us at Ford do, and I learned a lot from seeing the range of things they (and maybe you!) want to know about the foundation’s work at this particular moment.

With limited time, I wasn’t able to answer every question, but I promise there will be other opportunities for asking and answering. In the meantime, the Chronicle of Philanthropy has a nice write-up of the chat, including some highlights. And I encourage you to explore the full exchange on Facebook.

I was pleased by the discussion’s constructive, collaborative spirit—and I look forward to building on it when we roll out our new programming, and our new website, in just over a week. Stay tuned!